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Write like nobody’s reading

I often get asked how many people read my Time Saving Heroes blogs, or how popular the blogs are that I write for my clients. I also get asked how best to define a “good” blog.

You might think these are easy questions to answer, but the truth is, they’re not.

My viewing numbers vary from post to post – I can get two views on one, and over 1,000 for another on a similar topic. Sometimes it’s just not your day. Sometimes it is.

As for the popularity of my guest blogs, or those I ghost-write for clients, it’s the same issue. However, if they’re popular with my clients, the people who are paying for them, then that’s the only metric I need to refer to.

Finally, a “good” blog – yeah, I can’t even with that one.

All too often blogging and any form of content marketing is measured by its reach, the number of people who have seen or shared it. People seem to constantly be hoping for a post to go viral – the Holy Grail of social media. But that’s far too short sighted.

Good content needs to make an impact. Perhaps it only makes one person stop and think, challenge their perceptions, learn something or want to find out more. Does that make it a bad blog because not enough people have interacted?

A piece of writing that’s seen by hundreds but is forgotten within minutes is not a good one, surely?

The vast majority of people who ask these questions are not the ones that are contemplating “buying” content from me – they’re actually the people who create their own. Essentially they are looking for an answer to the question “Why am I even bothering?”

For those people, the ones still too scared to ask the question, here are my reasons:

Practice makes better (I don’t believe in perfection). The more you write the better you will get at it. You will find your voice, you will find it easier to put words to screen, and you will learn to stop over thinking the whole process.

It’s therapeutic. When you write for the right reasons, to inform, to engage, to encourage or educate then it can be a hugely therapeutic experience.

You’re always visible. Even when people don’t read your piece they might have seen it pop up (depending where you’re sharing it in the first place). That still means you’re visible. You’re still out there. If that happens enough then there’s a good chance that a little spark of curiosity is going to get them to connect.

Blogging gives you a chance to expand your own knowledge base. I’m lucky to be able to write for a wide variety of people, who work in completely different industries. Sometimes I know nothing about the products they’re selling, and I have to do a lot of research to pull a piece together. That’s fine, I love it as it gives me the chance to learn and explore. Even if you’re writing about your own industry, something you should know a lot about, you’re bound to pick up more information which will be an advantage to you and your customers along the way.

Blogging also gives you an opportunity to make some really random questions. Putting your content out there encourages people to say something back, to comment, to like, to share – even if they don’t do it immediately.

If you’re struggling to work out whether you should carry on with your blog or not, take some advice from me. Stop worrying about who’s out there, and start writing like nobody’s reading. Take the pressure off and write for the sheer heck of it.